Pediatric strokes are extremely rare. When Lancaster High School student Alyssa Garris suffered a stroke after cleft lip and palate surgery in June 2010, the doctors on her case had a hard time giving her parents a proper prognosis.

They couldn’t even tell Mika and Mark Garris what the future held for their daughter.
“It was a really, really tough thing to hear,” Mika said. “We go in expecting a routine surgery and plan to be going home in two or three days, and it turned out she didn’t come home for seven weeks.”

I recently read a story that related how learning to play music can help trauma victims.

This article was about the “Guitars for Vets” initiative.
It was fascinating to learn about the mission of this organization and how much it has grown nationwide – to more than 25 chapters.

The program offers one-on-one free guitar lessons (and a loaner guitar) to veterans who suffer from mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of war, deaths, injuries or other disasters.

The Lancaster arts scene is putting its collective talents together in an effort to benefit local non-profit organizations, thanks to a series of fundraising events that began in February.

Christina Chastain, gallery owner at Chastain’s Studio Lofts, said a very successful annual Christmas party and seven years of experience working with non-profit organizations were what started her thinking about how the gallery could do more to reach out to the community.

Looking to pay tribute to the wonderful women in your life? Well, how about starting with brunch? I’ve yet to meet anyone, especially a woman, who doesn’t just love it. There’s something so very special about the warmth and togetherness that comes with a well made mid-morning meal. You get all the homeyness of breakfast fare with the zip and panache of a cocktail party. Heck, if you want you can even have the cocktails, too.

“Many gardeners are facing a blank slate of bare soil, masses of dead patches that were once lawn or a bit of grass interspersed in a sea of weeds,” gardening expert Melinda Myers said.
Myers recommends following a few simple steps to improve lawns this season:

An acclaimed New York City trombone quartet, The Guidonian Hand, is returning to Lancaster.

This performance will be the 19th Vivian Major Robinson Classical Concert, sponsored by the Lancaster County Council of the Arts. The purpose of the concert series is to promote appreciation for – and enjoyment of – classical music in a variety of styles.

Lots of people enjoy cooking, but few people have their cooking become a community phenomenon that lasts for more than half a century.

86-year-old Ruth McGriff has been cooking for others for at least 60 years, learning the skill when she was just a girl of 13. Now she celebrates becoming a first-time author with the release of “Ruth McGriff: Legacy of Blessings” cookbook.

The Duke Energy Foundation is continuing its support of the Lancaster Works program with a contribution of $75,725 to the workforce development initiative of Carolinas Literacy Network.
Lancaster Works offers ongoing jobs-readiness training to help job seekers enhance their employability skills and get employed sooner.